Saturday, June 30, 2012

As a self-proclaimed blog junkie I can absolutely say that one of my very
fave blogs is the one and only Tartan & Sequins blog
co-written by none other than absolutely adorbs blogger babes Allison &
Julia. It all begin innocently enough as I began my daily ritual of perusing
blogs among the interwebs when I came across two sweetie pies with beauty,
style, class and such wit! When I tell you these chicks are funny as all
get-out, I tell you no lie. AND they are as obsessed with hair, make-up and accessories as I am!

I'm not certain if it was their ability to perfectly pair any
accessory, their effortless sophistication or the fact that I could totally see
myself being besties with these two that instantly made me a superfan. The Tartan & Sequins gals will
give you endless beauty and styling inspo, but best of all you will laugh out
loud and feel an instant connection to Allison and Julia...pinky promise!

Seriously, get ready to fall in love with Allison and Julia just as I
have <3

What
inspired you ladies to start Tartan and Sequins?

Many
years ago, in a land far far away, we met at Miami University, a fine
institution of higher learning aptly nicknamed “J. Crew U.” While we got along
fabulously, we pledged different sororities and had different majors, which
kept us from realizing that we were spirit animals while still living in
Oxford. After graduation, we went out to grab the world by the tail - Julia set
off to make her mark on Los Angeles, and Allison headed to Chicago to show them
how it was done. Then, several years later, a funny thing happened. By the
power of Facebook, we reconnected. What started out as the occasional “like” on
a mobile upload or comment on a status update turned into something much, much
more. At present, we’re are unable to go a few hours without emailing or
texting each other over any little fabulous or hilarious thing. After a lengthy
Facebook/email/text courtship, one of us had an idea that would change the
course of history: why not create a blog to share all of this fabulousness with
the world? Upon presenting the other with the idea of co-blog-imony, she was
met with an emotional “I FEEL LIKE YOU JUST ASKED ME TO MARRY YOU!” And that,
my friends, is how Tartan & Sequins was born!

How would you define each of your
personal styles?

Allison:
My style is a mix of citified Midwestern prep and California beach babe. I
definitely gravitate towards classic pieces - I think the best part of my late
20’s is that I’m beginning to be honest with myself about what works for me and
what doesn’t, and instead of the panic I used to feel at not looking equally
great in everything, I feel almost relieved that I have signature shapes that I
know work for me. It actually makes shopping SO much easier! In terms of pant
cuts, I know that a straight-to-cigarette leg looks best on me - I love J.
Crew’s Pixie Pant, and Julia has definitely made a J. Crew Minnie Pant convert
out of me! I tend to choose tops that are a little longer and more fitted, and
mix in new trends via accessories.

Julia: My
style definitely errs more on the side of classic. I mean, I’ve never met a
white t-shirt, a blazer, a good pair of loafers that I didn’t like.What I love
is mixing those classic items along with more trendy ones- like say some bright
denim or a floral scarf to really punch up the look. And I 100% agree with
Allison about knowing what works and doesn’t work on your body. I don’t really
like anything tight on top and prefer loose tanks or t-shirts or blouses. I
also have mad love for the cigarette pant. JCrew’s Minnie is my go-to!

Fashion era do you most identify
with:

Allison:
1960’s – think Mad Men + Moonrise Kingdom.

Julia: Ohhhhh
this is a fun one. I think I'm going to have to go with the 1960s. I just love
the tailored yet feminine looks from the era. I mean, between Audrey Hepburn in
Breakfast at Tiffany's and Michelle Pfeiffer in Hairspray- stick a fork in me,
I'm done!!!

Julia: Oh
where do I begin? I think Olivia Palermo can pretty much do no wrong in the
style department (personality department is a different thing).I also love
Poppy Delevigne, Meredith Melling Burke and real girls with real style like
fellow blogger, Blair Eadie.

Julia: In terms of pre-makeup, I swear by the Clarisonic
(morning and night) and followed by Clinique Intense Moisture Repair at night.
For daytime, I'm actually on the hunt for a new moisturizer and eye cream so
any suggestions are appreciated :) In terms of make-up, if I was stuck on a
desert island and could only bring 3 things, it would be thePur Minerals 4-in-1tinted moisturizer,Benefit Hello Flawlessfoundation andLancome Ôscillation Intensitymascara.

Julia: My
daily reads are: Stylewise (of course), See Jane., Cupcakes and Cashmere,
Things That Sparkle, The Now, B Soup, Summer is a Verb, Gal Meets Glam, Pink
Peonies... I mean the list goes on but I only have so much time!!

Julia: Well
J.Crew is at the very top of my list but I also love Shopbop, Kate Spade, Lilly
Pulitzer, C. Wonder, Bloomingdales and Overstock.com. Ya,
I said it.

Items
currentlyon your “Covet List”:

Allison:
I am obsessed with Celine’s Trapeze bag. I’d also love a pair of Norma Kamali
cats eye shades for summer, and a super beat up vintage Louis Vuitton duffel
for my travels. I’ve also been obsessed with ruby and turquoise jewelry lately!

Julia:
A black Chanel 2.55 Bag, a summer home and a personal trainer. Oh and more
hours in the day. Totally attainable right?

Biggest fashion splurge of all-time:

Allison:
Mine would probably be my Louis Vuitton Noe bag – I got it with my tax refund
my first year out of college and felt so grown up!

Julia: My Burberry trench coat. After lusting after it
for a few years, I finally pulled the trigger on it. Given that I wear it
constantly, I'm almost down to a reasonable cost-per-use!

What do you ladies enjoy most when you
aren’t blogging?

Allison:
Hanging with my husband, dog Clementine, and friends! Oh and also sleeping.

Julia:Sleeping

Dream vacation

Allison:
I would love to visit Capri!

Julia:Me + my boyfriend + beach + cocktail.

Most
memorablemoment of your life:

Allison:
When we brought our maltipoo baby, Clementine, home!

Julia: I would say the moment when my boyfriend went down on one knee and asked me
to marry him :)

Where do you see yourlives in the next 5 years?

Allison:
Well, I am currently in a year of “re-birth” according to my fab psychic Kimberlee, and am looking for opportunities
to move out of accounting and into PR/social media/marketing full-time (if you
have any PR contacts in Orange County, CA, holler atcha girl! J) and I am
100% ready for and excited about that professional transition. I can’t wait to
have a 9-5 that I love as much as my 5-9 (blogging)!

Julia:Oh this is a scary thought! I guess I would say I'm still figuring it out. It
takes a lot of time and self-reflection to figure out who you want to be and
what you want to do so I'm working through it. Stay tuned!!

Now that you have a major girlcrush on this duo...I encourage stalking them (as I do daily)

Monday, June 25, 2012

Remember when we were kids and summers meant family vacations, summer camp and no homework for 3 months? I really do miss those days. I know I shouldn't complain but those really were the days. While I appreciate the summer hours work so generously has given us I can't help but daydream of how I would love to be spending my summer.

The kid in me longs for the summers spent where some of my most cherished memories were made...beautiful Camp Champions on Lake LBJ...

The big kid in me favors the idea of sunbathing on a luxurious yacht somewhere glamorous...

enjoying a dinner party in the South of France.....

an evening on the beach in Thailand.....

relaxing in a hammock in a beautiful garden...

Hanging my feet in the lake with friends...

Carefree beach dancin...

road trippin' in this awesomeness...

or livin the good life poolside in the French Riviera...

Soooo some of these aren't very realistic but a girl can dream!
What are your summer plans? Any dreamy vacays I can vicariously live through?

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

I can't believe I am 5 years late discovering this amazing jewelry line that is just my style.
Jules Smith was founded in 2007 by the super hip Gina Nigrelli-Smith.
Learn more about Gina Nigrelli-Smith and her gorg line HERE: